Pneumatic-tube terminal.



No. 724,688. w PATENTBD APR. 7, 1903.

, A. FORDYGB.

PNEUMATIC TUBE TERMINAL} APIPLIOATION FILED JUNE 16, 1900.

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m: nonms PETERS co. wm'mnno" WASNINGYDN. a. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDMOND A. ORDYo-E, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGN- MENTS, TO BOSTEDO PNEUMATIC TUBE COMPANY, or CI-IIoAcO, ILLI- NoIs, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

PN EU MATlC-TUBE TERMINAL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 724,688, dated April 7, 1903.

Application filed June 16, 1900- To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, EDMOND A. FORDYCE, of Chicago, Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Pneumatic-Tube Terminals, of which'the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in pneumatic-despatch-tube terminals, and refers more specifically to an improved construction in terminals of that type wherein the carrier is discharged through a downwardly-directed discharge-tube and wherein the delivery-chute is arranged in alinement with or continuation of the delivery-tube,

[5 While the air-draft is deflected out of the path of the carrier at a point adjacent to the flapvalve or door of the terminal-box. It is found necessary in systems of this character to provide means for retarding the speed of the carriers just prior to their discharge through the terminal, and this is frequently done, as in the present case, by causing the carrier to pass through a curved portion of the delivery-tube, so thatthe'friction of the carrier against the walls of the tube in rounding the curve will serve to sufficiently retard its movement. Heretofore this curved portion of the delivery-tube has usually been built within and so as to form a part of the terminal-box construction within which the valve was located, and it has been found impracticable to give to the curved portion of the delivcry-tube a curve which will serve to suffi-- ciently retard the carrier without either making it so abrupt as to bring an undue strain and wear upon the carriers or else necessitate an abnormally large and inconvenient terminal-box. In priorconstruotions also the carrier has passed out of the influence of the suction-draft coincidentlyor about coincidently with its entrance to the curved retarding portion of the'delivery-tube and at a considerable distance from the point where the carrier impacts against the flap-valve, the

irregular or the carriers not uniform in their fit within the delivery-tube they may occasionally stick in the retarding portion of the delivery-tube or at least be retarded to such an extent as to fail to open the flap-valve and be properly delivered.

section of a terminal and the several pipe Fig. 2.

result being that if the suction be somewhat Serial'No. 20,542. (No model.)

It is the object of the present invention to overcome the foregoing objections and also to provide a more economical construction, whereby substantially the Whole terminal- .box is formed by means of two comparatively simple metal castings with which all of the connecting-tubes are connected by simple straight joints, thereby reducing thecost of manufacture and installation to a minimum, to provide a simplified and improved form of valve for regulating the suction-draft, and in general tosimplify and improve the details of construction of the terminal.

The invention consists in the matters hereinafter described, and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims, and will be readily understood from the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation with parts in connections embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is an axial sectional view taken through the terminal-box and connected-pipes in the plane of the delivery-chuteand suction-pipe. Fig. 3 isa horizontal sectional view taken on line 3 3 of Fig. 1 and looking downwardly, and Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken on line4 4 of Referring to the drawings, 1 designates as awhole the terminal-box; '2, the deliverychute, connected with the lower discharge end of the'box; 3, the curved retarding portion of the delivery-tube, connected with the upper end of the terminal-box, and 4 the suction-tube, connected with the ofiset extension of the terminal-box and extending thence downwardly to the main suction pipe or trunk 5, which latter is desirably and as shown herein located underneath the desk or counter 6, upon which the operator works.

In the improved construction shown herein the terminal-box comprises two main members or castings, designated 7 and 8, respec- 5 tively, the former consisting of a horizontallyarranged tubular portion 9, closed at one end, as indicated at 10, and provided at this end with a downwardly-directed nipple 11, adapted for connection with the suction- Y pipe 4, and having at its opposite end a vertically-disposed tubular section 12, with the central portion of which the horizontal section 9 communicates, and the upper and lower ends of which, 13 and 14, are respectively adapted for connection with the deliverytube 3 and the section member 8 of the terminal-box. The member 8 consists of a tubular body constructed at its upper end to telescope upon and be united with the lower end of the portion 12 of the upper member and terminating at its lower end with a nipple portion 15, adapted for connection with the delivery-chute 2, said member being enlarged both internally and externally midway of its length and constructed to taper toward each end, as indicated clearly in the drawings, so that as the carrier emerges from the vertical portion of the upper member of the terminal-box it enters a hopper-shaped receptacle and is thereby directed into the delivery-chute 2.

16 designates the flap-valve, which normally closes the lower end of the deliverypassage at the point where the latter enters the upper end of the member 8. Said valve consists in the present instance of a leather flap, one end of which is secured to a bracket 17, mounted upon the terminal-box at a point centrally beneath the horizontal portion 9 thereof,the free end of the flap being arranged to project horizontally within the upper portion of the member 8 in position to close the lower end of the delivery-passage, as indicated clearly in Fig. 2. Said flap is desirably constructed of leather, and the natural resiliency of the leather and the suction of the air is depended upon to close and hold closed the flap after it has been opened by the passage,

of a carrier. In order that there may be a free inflow of air into the upper part of the hopper-shaped member of the box behind the carrier, so as to relieve the latter of the suction which would be exerted thereon during the time the flap were open were it possible for the air to enter only through the deliverychute, the hopper-shaped member is provided in its side walls at a point immediately below the nominal position of the flap-valve with a plurality of vertical slots or air-inlets 18. Desirably also and as shown herein the rear side of the member is left entirely open from its upper end downwardly throughouta part of its length, as indicated at 19, the object of this construction being to facilitate the adjustment of the valve and to obtain more ready access to the interior of the memberin case it should become necessary.

In the preferred construction shown the lower end of the delivery-tube 3 is extended down through the vertically-disposed portion 12 of the terminal-box and its end margin arranged to form the valve-seat against which the flap-valve 16 rests. In order to provide for the passage of air from the vertical portion 12 of the terminal-box into the horizontal portion 9 thereof and thence to the suction-tube 4, that portion of the side of the delivery-tube 3 which comes opposite the horizontal passage is provided with aplurality of slots or openings 20 of sufiicient size to permit ample flow of the air therethrough.

In order to control the exhaust of air through the terminal-box, I provide an improved damper-valve, which is constructed and arranged as follows: The end portion 10 of the box, which communicates with the suction-tube at, ismade parti-cylindric, and within this parti-cylindric portion is arranged to fit a correspondingly-shaped valve-sleeve 21, closed at its upper end by means ofa disk or cap 22, open at its lower end and at one side, as indicated in sectional view, Fig. 4. To the center of the disk 22 is connected an opcrating-stem 23, which extends up through the upper wall of the terminal-box and is provided outside of the latter with an operating arm or handle, whereby the valve may be manipulated. Desirably'that portion of the terminal-box over which the operating-arm sweeps is provided with graduations or marks whereby the position of the valve may be determined.

The operation of the device constructed as above described will be entirely obvious and need not, therefore, be repeated in detail. It is to be noted, however, that by reason of the relatively long and easy curve of the delivery-tube 3, located entirely outside of the terminal-box, the carrier will be grad ually arrested without undue Wear thereon, and it is to be further noted that-by reason of the fact that the carrier remains under driving pressure until it is entirely through the curved portion of the delivery-tube and practically in contact with the door or flap-valve there is no tendency for it to stick or fail to be discharged, and this certainty of action will be equally present whether or not carriers be of uniform dimensions and whether or not the driving pressure be uniform. By reason of the peculiar construction and arrangement of the relief-ports 18 the valve will be closed very promptly, and the carrier will at once pass out of the influence of the air-draft as soon as it passes by the valve, and by reason of the fact that it is passing through a straight portion of the passage at the time that it encounters the valve it will readily overcome the resistance of the latter and drop into the deliverychute. The construction as a whole is, more over, extremely economical 'and of neat and attractive appearance, the terminal-box constituting but a slight enlargement of the pipe connections.

I claim as my invention 1. In a pneumatic-despatch apparatus, the combination of a curved downwardly -discharging delivery-tube, a terminal-box into which said delivery-tube discharges, comprising a portion having a vertical passage in alinement and communication with the delivery-tube, a flap-valve interposed-in said vertical passage, relief-openings communicating with the vertical passage immediately below the flap-valve, aportion havingatranscharging delivery-tube, a terminal-boxinto verse draft-deflecting passage communicating with the vertical passage at a point immediately above the valve, and an exhaustpipe connected with said transversely-extending passage, substantially as described.

2. In a pneum'atic-despatch apparatus, the combination of a curved downwardly-diswhich said delivery-tube discharges, com prising a portion having a vertical passage in alinement and communication with the delivery-tube, a flap-valve interposed in said vertical. passage, relief -openings communicating with the vertical passage immediately below the flap-valve, a'portion having a trans: verse draft-deflecting passage communicating with the vertical passage at a point immediately above the valve, an exhaust-pipe connected with said transversely-extending passage, and a damper-valve arranged to control the exhaust through the terminal-box, substantially as described.

3. In a pneumatic-despatch apparatus, the combination of a curved downwardly-dis charging delivery-tube, a terminal-box into which said delivery-tube discharges, comprising a portion having a vertical passage in alinement and communication with the delivery-tube, a flap-valve interposed in said vertical passage, relief-openings communicating with the passage immediately below the flap-valve, a portion having a transverse exhaust-passage communicating with the vertical passage at a point immediately above the valve, an exhaust-pipe connected with said transverse passage and arranged at an abrupt angle thereto, and a dam per-valve arranged to control said passage and havingits operatingstem arranged to project through the wall of the terminal-box adjacent to said angular connection, substantially as described.

4:. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination with a tubular passage and a communicating passage entering the tubular passage at one side, of adampersleeve fitting within the tubular passage opposite the entrance of the communicating passage and provided with an inlet-aperture adapted to be brought into and out of register with the communicating'passage by rotation of the sleeve, and means for operating said dampersleeve, substantially as described.

5. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination witha terminal-box having a transverse passage, as 9, terminating in a .parti-cylindric portion arranged at right angles to the transverse passage and communicating with an exhaust passage, of the damper-valve 21 having the end cap 22 and the operating-stem connected therewith and extending out through the wall of the passage, suostantiallyas described.

6. In a pneumatic-despatch apparatus, a terminal-box comprising upper and lower main members,said upper membercomprising a horizontally-disposed tubular portion having intersecting communicating vertical tubular portions at each end, a flap-valve arranged to control the lower end of one of said vertically-arranged portions, said lower mem ber comprising a tubular body connected at its upper end with the lower end of the flapvalve-controlled vertical portion of the upper member and inclosing the main portion of the valve, and a pluralityof inlet-apertures formed through the Walls of said lower member at a point immediately below the valve when the latter is in closed position, the interior of said lower-member being enlarged to V through the other extension, and a hoppershaped member connected with the valve-controlled extension, provided with inlets immediately below the normalposition of the valve, substantially as described.

8. In a consecutive-delivery terminal, the

combination with a hollow coupling adapted to be connected to the end of the receivingtube and having a vertical tubular member for the passage of discharging carriers, and a lateral branch for the passage of the air-current to the exhausting device, of a flap-valve pivoted onsaid lateral branch and normally closing the lower end of said tubular member of the coupling, and a delivery-chute connected to the latter, said delivery-chute being cut away in the rear near its upper end for the purpose of permitting the free operation of the valve and also to prevent the formation of a vacuum in rear of a discharging carrier, substantially as described.

9. In a consecutive-delivery terminal, the combination with a hollow coupling adapted tobe connected to the end of the receivingtube, and havinga vertical tubular member for the passage of discharging carriers, and a lateral branch for the passage of the air-current to the exhausting device, of a suitablypivoted valve-disk normally closing the lower end of said tubular member of the coupling, and a delivery-chute connected to the latter, said delivery-chute being cut away on its rear and front sides near its upperand lower ends respectivelyforthe respective purposes of permitting thefrej'e operation of the valvedisk and the consecutive removal of the discharging carriers, substantially as described, 

